Twin City Winters (Minneapolis, Jackson, Houston: crimes, school, move)

[DannyBanany]

Now I bet you hear this all the time, but are Minneapolis winters always so terribly cold? I visited the Twin Cities three times last winter (once in December, twice in January) and each time it was -5 degrees, no sunshine, and a howling wind. Do winters ever get warm (35+ degrees)? Are there may sunny days in winter too? Does the snow ever melt away?

I've visited in summer and fall too and I thought it was absolutely gorgeous. I plan on going to school there in the fall and I just hope I can last the winter!

[golfgal]

Well it looks like you timed your trip to hit our only sub-zero days last winter . Generally you can expect 20° on average most of the winter. There is usually a cold blast mid-January that usually is sub-zero for a week and then again in Feb. There is generally a day here and there that will be sub-zero too. You don't often see 35+ on a continual basis but we will have a day here and there with temps like that.

Yes we have plenty of sun in the winter but also with the sun usually comes colder temps. Last winter was the first winter in a LONG time where we had snow on the ground all winter. Growing up we always had snow on the ground winter long.

[bloomingtonsteve]

Oh sure it gets above 35. Why...just the other day it was ...like...38!

Really...it's all relative. The cold is our secret crimestopper during the winter months. And just think...no mosquitoes!

Yeah...it does get mod cut cold. The coldest day I can remember was around 1991 when we dropped to -32F. It was kind of funny...many vehicles had trouble starting that morning. Mine started just fine...but my brakes went out so I couldn't stop! That was the same year of the Halloween Blizzard. We had over three feet of snow...before Thanksgiving.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by DannyBanany

Now I bet you hear this all the time, but are Minneapolis winters always so terribly cold? I visited the Twin Cities three times last winter (once in December, twice in January) and each time it was -5 degrees, no sunshine, and a howling wind. Do winters ever get warm (35+ degrees)? Are there may sunny days in winter too? Does the snow ever melt away?

I've visited in summer and fall too and I thought it was absolutely gorgeous. I plan on going to school there in the fall and I just hope I can last the winter!

Winters are long, and plenty cold for most. Days below zero happen a fair amount, but average temps for Jan and Feb are probably in the teens. Also, most really cold days are bright and sunny. Wind can be brutal, but a typical day would be moderate wind. Wind tends to pick up as systems move through. Snow melts by end of march.

First snow that sticks ussually comes in late November or early December, but upon occasion we get a big one early such as the famous halloween storm.

[knke0402]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

Winters are long, and plenty cold for most. Days below zero happen a fair amount, but average temps for Jan and Feb are probably in the teens. Also, most really cold days are bright and sunny. Wind can be brutal, but a typical day would be moderate wind. Wind tends to pick up as systems move through. Snow melts by end of march.

First snow that sticks ussually comes in late November or early December, but upon occasion we get a big one early such as the famous halloween storm.

Winters dont seem that long until about mid February hits. Then March comes and you think its goign to get nice, but March drags, and drags and drags. March is the worst month in MN by far, close behind is Feb. March is a cold, snowy, wet, gray month that should be wiped off the map.

Now until XMAS we shouldnt see too much crazy weather. It doenst even get that cold around xmas-like 20s and 30s.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by knke0402

Winters dont seem that long until about mid February hits. Then March comes and you think its goign to get nice, but March drags, and drags and drags. March is the worst month in MN by far, close behind is Feb. March is a cold, snowy, wet, gray month that should be wiped off the map.

Now until XMAS we shouldnt see too much crazy weather. It doenst even get that cold around xmas-like 20s and 30s.

Totally agree that end of winter seems to be a long slow torture. Days are getting longer, snow starts melting, but somehow winter manages to hold on for a while longer.

[knke0402]

Originally Posted by Clifford63

Totally agree that end of winter seems to be a long slow torture. Days are getting longer, snow starts melting, but somehow winter manages to hold on for a while longer.

AHH SO TRUE

You can almost see summer, but you never reach it!! then one day you wake up and its 75 and sunny.

[Astron1000]

In Minneapolis, the 2nd sunniest month on average is January. November, December and March are crap, if what you care about is sunshine. But it's all relative. Look at Seattle or Portland .

Amazingly, on an annual average, the Twin Cities have more sunny days than Jacksonville, Milwaukee, West Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Orlando, Honolulu, Houston, Chicago, Miami, Detroit, Washington DC, Cleveland or Seattle!

[kuan]

Winter here is useable. Unlike the slushbelt, it gets cold enough for you to play hockey on the lakes or icebike and fish. We have icebike races on the lakes and a newly added icebike loppet during the first weekend on February. The snow stays on the ground long enough so we have a good long ski season.

[knke0402]

Originally Posted by Astron1000

In Minneapolis, the 2nd sunniest month on average is January. November, December and March are crap, if what you care about is sunshine. But it's all relative. Look at Seattle or Portland .

Amazingly, on an annual average, the Twin Cities have more sunny days than Jacksonville, Milwaukee, West Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Orlando, Honolulu, Houston, Chicago, Miami, Detroit, Washington DC, Cleveland or Seattle!

I wouldn't trust that site. That was saying that Honolulu had 90 days of sun. So you're telling me that only .28% of the year its sunny in Honolulu?